Frogs 'invade' Kerala hamlet

Mananthawadi, Kerala, Apr 9: Invaded by a cumulative army of frogs (Rana curpipes), inhabitants of a hamlet in this hilly terrain in Kerala are a much harried lot, forced to stay indoors.

The sudden influx of the brownish frogs into a hamlet around a dam site at Thariyod village from forest streams began a few days ago making life miserable for the people amid fear of epidemic outbreak.

The non-stop march of the species continued particularly during night when they took shelter under bushes surrounding the Banasurasagar Reservoir. They came out of the camouflaged environs as soon vehicles passed by, getting crushed under their wheels leaving the remains to pile up in the locality.

''We have no alternative but to stay indoors as it is difficult even to breathe in the open environs as a stench emanated from the heap,'' a villager said adding that this could contaminate drinking water as well.

''This was the first time the hamlet was faced with the strange phenomenon,'' another person, residing there for the last several years, said.

Under protest from the people, authorities removed some of the remains to wells and sealed them using JCBs.

According to veterinary expert Anil Zacharia, the wild species which bred in streams and water bodies normally influxed into forest.

But this time, they preferred human habitats instead of the natural environs possibily due to continuing deforestation.

UNI